Bantu Holomisa

Eric Naki, Bantu Holomisa

Description

Bantu Holomisa is one of South Africa’s most respected and popular political figures. Born in the Transkei in 1955, he attended an elite school for the sons of chiefs and headmen. While other men his age were joining Umkhonto weSizwe, Holomisa enrolled in the Transkeian Defence Force and rose rapidly through the ranks.

As head of the Transkeian Defence Force, Holomisa led successive coups against the homeland regimes and then became the head of its military government. He turned the Transkei into a ‘liberated space’, giving shelter to ANC and PAC activists, and declared his intention of holding a referendum on the reincorporation of the Transkei into South Africa. These actions brought him immense popularity and the military dictator became a liberation hero for many South Africans.
When the unbanned ANC held its first election for its national executive in 1994, Holomisa, who had by now joined the party, received the most votes, beating long-time veterans and party stalwarts. He and Mandela developed a close relationship, and Holomisa served in Mandela’s cabinet as deputy minister for environmental affairs and tourism. As this biography reveals, the relationship with both Mandela and the ANC broke down after Holomisa testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, among other issues, that Stella Sigcau and her cabinet colleagues had accepted a bribe from Sol Kerzner.

After being expelled from the ANC, Holomisa formed his own party, the United Democratic Movement, with Roelf Meyer. As leader of the UDM, Holomisa has played a prominent role in building coalitions among opposition parties and in leading important challenges to the dominant party.
This biography, written in collaboration with Holomisa, presents an engaging and revealing account of a man who has made his mark as a game changer in South African politics.

Sujets

• Droit et juridique
• Republic of South Africa
• Military history
• 21st century
• South Africa
• Military
• LAW
• Afrique du Sud

Informations

• Publié par: Pan Macmillan South Africa
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781770104822
• Langue: English

Extrait

BANTU HOLOMISA


BANTU HOLOMISA
The Game Changer
An Authorised Biography
ERIC NAKI
PICADOR AFRICA


First published in 2017 by Picador Africa
an imprint of Pan Macmillan South Africa
Private Bag X19
Northlands
Johannesburg
2116
www.panmacmillan.co.za
ISBN 978-1-77010-481-5
eBook ISBN 978-1-77010-482-2
© 2017 Bantu Holomisa
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the details, facts, names and places mentioned, this book is partly based on memory – of the subject of the biography himself and of all those interviewed. The publisher and author welcome feedback, comments and/or corrections that could further enrich the book.
Editing by Russell Martin
Proofreading by Lisa Compton
Cover design by publicide
Cover photograph of Bantu Holomisa by Greg Marinovich
Cover photograph of Eric Naki by Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen


CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgements
Part 1: The Chief’s Son
1. A royal upbringing
2. Home away from home
3. A political education
Part 2: The Soldier
4. Enlisting in the Transkei Defence Force
5. Holomisa’s detention
6. The ousting of George Matanzima
Part 3: The Military Ruler
7. The military coup
8. An open-door administration
9. Creating a haven for MK and APLA
10. Undoing the Matanzima legacy
11. Crusader against corruption
12. The 1990 coup against Holomisa
13. The trial of the coup plotters
Part 4: The National Politician
14. In Madiba’s shadow
15. Negotiating the future South Africa
16. In the ANC government
17. Expulsion from the ANC
18. Leading the UDM
19. A man for all people
20. Family man and sportsman
21. The way forward
Appendix 1: ‘The Rise and Fall of Bantu Holomisa’ and ‘Comrades in Corruption’
Appendix 2: ‘Draft Problem Statement: Towards a National Convention’
Notes
Pictures


PREFACE
The Eastern Cape is known for having been at the forefront of black resistance against colonial and apartheid oppression, which lasted more than three hundred years. The area became a terrain of struggle. During the colonial era, numerous so-called Frontier Wars were fought intermittently by the European settlers against the Xhosa and Khoikhoi, leaving a trail of death and dispossession. The same area was to lead the way in the twentieth century, when black nationalism provided fierce resistance to apartheid rule. Many of the liberation movement leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Robert Sobukwe and Steve Biko, originated here and, for some time after the demise of apartheid, the province continued to influence the country’s politics.
The region was also the site of the apartheid government’s first experiment in implementing the homeland system, which was meant to confine black people in unproductive land reserves while depriving them of their South African citizenship. The first homeland to accept apartheid-style ‘independence’ was Transkei, which was held up as a model of the policy of separate development. Transkei was the first to establish a defence force as part of its independence package. Initially trained by white officers from South Africa, the Transkei Defence Force recruited members from among the youth of the territory, some of whom would go on to occupy senior positions in the force. One of the first recruits was Bantubonke Holomisa.
Holomisa is an unusual human being who chose to live a simple life when he could have taken advantage of what the system offered those willing to collaborate. This book will take you through the journey of his life, beginning as a shepherd boy in rural Mqanduli and a royal child attending an elite college for the sons of chiefs and headmen in the Transkei, and becoming a young soldier who made his way to the top, a head of state who came to power at a very young age through a military coup, a nationalist who supported and joined the liberation movement, an environmental activist, an internationalist and, latterly, a national politician and true democrat who believes in the supremacy of the country’s constitution. As you read, you will also realise that throughout his life and political career Bantubonke has stayed true to his name, being a humble, charitable and down-to-earth ‘man of all the people’.
My expectation before I began writing this book was that I would be dealing with complex issues of state. But I was surprised when I found out that even as a head of state, Holomisa operated in a simple manner. He bypassed protocol and dealt with people directly, so much so that many people would come to his office and bring their problems to him. In the streets he greeted and mingled with ordinary people. He may have been the only head of state in South Africa (if not in the entire continent) to live in a simple suburban house instead of in a heavily guarded state house. And whether he was head of state, deputy minister in the democratic government or an opposition leader in Parliament, he continued to support his local Tembu Royals football club and follow the fortunes of Kaizer Chiefs.
As a Bantustan leader Holomisa proved to be a game changer. He openly defied the National Party government and refused to take instructions from Pretoria. More than once he annoyed the apartheid authorities by supporting the banned liberation movement with training and other resources inside Transkei. He also unbanned the anti-apartheid black political organisations before President F.W. de Klerk famously announced their unbanning in February 1990. As if this was not enough, he released political prisoners and put a moratorium on the death penalty. Under his rule, Transkei civil servants were the first in any of the homelands to receive salaries equal to those of their South African counterparts. As a result he faced a budgetary squeeze from Pretoria and the accusation that he was wasting taxpayers’ money.
All was not a bed of roses for Holomisa. He survived numerous assassination attempts by different groups plotting to get rid of him at various times. The Transkei intelligence service worked tirelessly to frustrate the plotters and they emerged victorious, with all the plotters eventually put behind bars.
At the centre of his rule in Transkei was a concerted anti-corruption crusade that he continued in the post-apartheid democratic dispensation after he joined the African National Congress (ANC). This made him unpopular with the ruling party and he was subsequently expelled from it and proceeded to form his own party, the United Democratic Movement (UDM). Instead of backing off, he intensified his anti-graft fight, often standing as a lone David against the giant Goliath.
With corruption intensifying under President Jacob Zuma, Holomisa built strong partnerships with other opposition parties. Together they challenged the ANC government in Parliament and in the courts. He will be forever proud of the historic victory secured by the UDM and other parties when the Constitutional Court ruled that a secret ballot could be held for the motion of no confidence in President Zuma. This ruling was to have an impact on the parliamentary process and wider implications for democracy in the country.
Holomisa consciously avoids fighting for the sake of fighting or opposing for the sake of opposition. Despite all his duels with the ANC and its government, he still believes that its policies are the best, but they lack implementation. Although Holomisa studied Marxism at school and his party policies are socialist-oriented, he is adamant that he is not wedded to any ideology. He believes there is no future for the extreme left or the extreme right in the country.
Even when he saw the ANC sinking deeper and deeper into corruption and political feuding, he was often prepared to assist the ruling party in order to make democracy work. His party, the UDM, served in the Thabo Mbeki government and Holomisa himself participated in a government initiative to bring stability to and improve the conditions and remuneration of members of the South African National Defence Force.
Holomisa has become one of the major political role players in South Africa. From the opposition benches, he continues to pursue his political vision. According to him, the future of the country lies in a joint effort by all South African stakeholders to decide on the way forward. From the early years of his political career, he proposed a national convention of all parties, civil society and other role players to thrash out the modalities for a peaceful society of which all can be proud. He does not believe that one party will be able to solve the problems facing the country and he argues that a coalition government is the future of South Africa. At the time this book was being written, Holomisa had received a mandate from other opposition parties to bring the national convention issue to the fore.
There is a lot that we have not recorded in this book about Bantu Holomisa’s life. We did not delve into his generous charity work at home and throughout the country, including paying for the education of many people out of his own pocket, organising bursaries and giving without expecting anything back. He avoids talking about his generosity towards others but remains proud that he is able to help where he can. This is the man whose life we describe in the